The Dallas Wings put together a strong effort on both ends of the floor in their 87-79 season-opening win over the Chicago Sky on Wednesday night.
That effort particularly was noticeable late in the second half as the Wings scored 14 straight points in the final few minutes of play to overcome a two-point deficit and secure the victory.
It’s an encouraging sign for the team going forward, especially as it will play the Sky again Saturday night at home.
“Each one contributed in an incredible way,” Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said. “When you have players that can do that, it doesn’t all have to fall on one, and that is when you know you are headed in the right direction and are going to do great things.”
Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings (1-0) with 25 points and Teaira McCowan (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Natasha Howard (15 points, 13 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles. Howard, however, sustained a broken foot in the game and is expected to be sidelined three-to-six weeks.
The Sky (0-1) will look to bounce back on Saturday, and they came away with lessons learned on a night in which they lost despite having five players score in double figures. Marina Mabrey had 19 points and Angel Reese scored 12 in her WNBA debut.
Mabrey is confident the Sky will adjust for Saturday’s game against the Wings.
“It’s a little sped up right now,” Mabrey said. “To the point where, ‘Hey, should I try to do this, should I try to do that, should I move it?’ That kind of comes with patience with each other, and a feel for the game. When we go back to the film, I think it will be clear as day what we should have done.”
One encouraging sign for the Sky is Diamond DeShields seems to have settled back in quickly after missing last season with a knee injury. She scored 14 points against the Wings.
–Field Level Media
